The Way 2 Play Free

What is your response when you encounter fear? How do the best athletes respond when they experience fear? What does the Bible say about fear? In this episode, Derin McMains discusses a few strategies on how to best respond to fear so you can become the competitor you were created to become. This podcast is for athletes and coaches that are doing their best to follow Jesus. It's devoted to connect...

When we plan for improvement, our first instinct is to add new things. What if the path to your best performances and your best life is not about what you can add, but what you can remove? This episode focuses in on the encounter between Jesus and the rich, young ruler; and has you consider what you can stop doing - instead of start doing. This podcast is for athletes and coaches that are doing th...

When it comes to skill development, what do you tell yourself to keep yourself going? Nonjudgemental thinking gets us to acceptance quicker, and the quicker we get to acceptance - the better our focus will be on what to do next. Judgement keeps us stuck. Jesus came to free us from that. This podcast is for athletes and coaches that are doing their best to follow Jesus. It's devoted to connecting B...

Sports don't build character. Coaches build character. This episode focuses in on the important role coaches play in developing the character of their competitors. And learn one simple principle that Jesus, the greatest teacher that ever lived, embodied to impact those that He taught. This podcast is for athletes and coaches that are doing their best to follow Jesus. It's devoted to connecting Bib...

If someone had never seen you compete before, how would you describe yourself as a competitor? How we see ourselves impacts our ability to perform, and it's difficult to outperform the image we have of ourselves for very long. This episode focuses in on the power of self-image and how following Jesus gives us the opportunity to experience the freedom that comes along with being brand new. This pod...

Our perspective determines our thoughts. Our thoughts determine our emotions. And it's our emotions that influence our actions. Our perspective matters. If you want to change your game, consider changing your perspective. This podcast is for athletes and coaches that are doing their best to follow Jesus. It's devoted to connecting Biblical truths to mental performance principles, so you can compet...

We've all been witnessing the power of people uniting in prayer this past week after Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during the Monday Night Football game between the Bills and the Bengals. As we continue to pray for him, his teammates, the coaches, the performance staff, Bills' staff members, Tee Higgins, and other players impacted by this - let's be reminded of the power of daily prayer in...

What do people see when they watch you compete? Who do people see in your daily actions? Living a life of intention and purpose begins with deciding how we want to show up. This episode gives you the opportunity to reflect on what type of competitor you are, and offers a suggestion on how to be more intentional in becoming the competitor you were created to become. This podcast is for athletes and...

Coming off an incredible finish in the World Cup that ended in penalty kicks, Derin McMains discusses the performance gap between being the final kicker when your team is down one versus when you're tied. How do you approach competitive situations? Do you see them as a challenge? Or do you see them as a threat? How we perceive a situation will determine our body's response to it. This podcast is f...

This is part 2 of the interview with special guest Nick Ahmed. In the final part of this interview, Nick talks about how he managed the expectations after winning a Gold Glove in 2018, battling through injuries during the 2022 season, managing being a husband, dad, and professional athlete all at the same time, and his favorite Bible verse. This podcast is for athletes and coaches that are doing t...

In this special episode, Derin McMains interviews Nick Ahmed. Nick has spent the past 9 seasons playing shortop for the Arizona Diamondbacks. In part 1 of this 2 part interview, Nick talks about his mindset as a high school and collegiate student-athlete, he discusses his early struggles after getting drafted and then traded, and he also shares his incredible story of when he gave his life to Jesu...

The same pitfalls that can trip us up along the path to mastery in our sport can trip us up in our pursuit of following Jesus. George Leonard outlined 13 pitfalls in his book "Mastery", and this episode focuses in on the second pitfall of obsessive goal orientation. While result goals are paramount in our pursuit of better, they can also trip us up if we obsess over them. Result goals set the dire...

When we pursue mastery, we're choosing a path that has ups, downs, and plateaus. George Leonard outlined 13 pitfalls along the path to mastery in his book appropriately titled, "Mastery". Those same pitfalls that can trip us up along the path of mastery can trip us up in our pursuit of following Jesus. This episode reminds us that it's our unseen hours that will determine how far we go, what we'll...

"This will be hard, and you can do hard things" might be one of the most helpful and empowering things you can say to someone. Running toward challenges and embracing hard is what it takes to find meaning and grow. This podcast is for athletes and coaches that are doing their best to follow Jesus. It's devoted to connecting Biblical truths to mental performance principles, so you can compete with...

This episode offers a different perspective on why we must give others the permission to call us out, and have the courage to call others out if we want to play at a higher level. This podcast is for athletes and coaches that are doing their best to follow Jesus. It's devoted to connecting Biblical truths to mental performance principles, so you can compete with a deeper purpose and perform at a h...

We're all going to be streteched too thin from time to time. That's inevitable if you're driven to impact and achieve. This episode offers four strategies on how to increase your diligence in your decision-making when it comes to opportunities away from the field. This podcast is for athletes and coaches that are doing their best to follow Jesus. It's devoted to connecting Biblical truths to menta...

When we run up against significant challenges, asking 'Why' is important. But if we spend too much time in 'Why', we'll never get to 'Now What'. This episode is to encourage those of you who are in the middle of a challenge right now. This podcast is for athletes and coaches that are doing their best to follow Jesus. It's devoted to connecting Biblical truths to mental performance principles, so y...

Sometimes when you're stuck, the best way forward is not what you do - it's more about who you choose to listen to. This episode reminds us that surrounding ourselves with wise people that have our best interests in mind is essential in achieving big goals. Big goals mean big obstacles - which means we need to rely on the wisdom of others to help us find the path forward. This podcast is for athle...

The spotlight effect is an idea that we tend to overestimate how much other people are really noticing what we're doing. This episode reminds to not let what's important keep us from what matters most. This podcast is for athletes and coaches that are doing their best to follow Jesus. It's devoted to connecting Biblical truths to mental performance principles, so you can compete with a deeper purp...

In this one-year anniversary episode, Derin McMains shares 6 lessons that he's learned in doing a podcast. He discusses wanting to quit, the importance of encouragement, process focus, intentional mornings, leaning into discomfort, and surrounding yourself with the right people. This podcast is for athletes and coaches that are doing their best to follow Jesus. It's devoted to connecting Biblical...

Does the story you're telling yourself about yourself give you the best opportunity to have success? This episode dives into how our identity shapes our performance, and offers some insight on how to discover who you really are. This podcast is for athletes and coaches that are doing their best to follow Jesus. It's devoted to connecting Biblical truths to mental performance principles, so you can...

Anchors provide stability, strength, and hope. Without intentional anchoring strategies, we will drift off-course. This episode focuses on developing those strategies that will help you stay on-course toward your goals.  This podcast is for athletes and coaches that are doing their best to follow Jesus. It's devoted to connecting Biblical truths to mental performance principles, so you can compete...

Amateurs involuntarily react. Pros intentionally respond. In this episode, Derin McMains shares how a strong mental game and a strong spiritual game are built by predeciding your response to the inevitable adversities that will arise in the future. This podcast is for athletes and coaches that are doing their best to follow Jesus. It's devoted to connecting Biblical truths to mental performance pr...

How do you level up your focus to accomplish your goals? In this episode, Derin McMains discusses one specific strategy that the most focused teams and performers use to turn big goals into reality. This podcast is for athletes and coaches that are doing their best to follow Jesus. It's devoted to connecting Biblical truths to mental performance principles, so you can compete with a deeper purpose...

Overthinking keeps us from performing at our potential. We can't think and perform at the same time. This episode reminds us that it doesn't matter whether it's in the arena or in our everyday lives, we can commit to simple. This podcast is for athletes and coaches that are doing their best to follow Jesus. It's devoted to connecting Biblical truths to mental performance principles, so you can com...